Pilot abandons F-35 stealth fighter after engine-fire on takeoff

A CONTROVERSIAL F-35 stealth fighter has caught fire while attempting to takeoff from a Florida air base today, days after one of its Russian equivalents suffered the same fate.

Network WritersNews Corp Australia Network

News Corp Australia Network

June 24, 201412:44pm

A CONTROVERSIAL F-35 stealth fighter has caught fire while attempting to takeoff from a Florida air base today, just days after one of its Russian equivalents suffered the same fate.

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which has been chosen to form the future of Australia’s air force, was part of a training unit at the Eglin air force base responsible for preparing naval, Marine Corps and international pilots to fly the new machine.

The fighter’s pilot initiated an emergency shutdown procedure on the fighter’s single jet engine when flames were reported coming out of the aircraft’s tail. The pilot escaped unharmed as emergency vehicles doused the stealth-jet in fire-retardant foam.

This is the second major fire to affect a stealth aircraft in recent weeks, and the second major incident to afflict the F-35.

Burnout ... The Sukhoi T-50 stealth fighter shows the damage to its fuselage after an engine fire earlier this month.Source:Supplied

A prototype Sukhoi T-50 Russian stealth fighter suffered an engine fire earlier this month as it returned to land after a test flight. The fire, in its forward right engine, burnt through the aircraft’s skin and caused a variable-geometry air inlet to collapse.

The aircraft’s manufacturers say the advanced fighter will be repaired.

Meanwhile, F-35 test flights were suspended on June 13 after the failure of an oil-flow management valve prompted an examination of all aircraft.

More than 100 F-35s are currently flying in training squadrons, though the aircraft itself is not yet completely operational.

A basic air force version of the stealth fighter is quoted as costing $104 million, while the naval variant costs $124 million.